Different morals (Brian Nugent)

Nick Clegg, leader of the UK Liberal Democrats, is leading by example in donating the nearly £40,000 profit from the sale of his house in Sheffield to the taxpayer.

He is encouraging MPs to “get out of the property game”. Does this apply to MSPs?

Tavish Scott, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, sold a flat in Edinburgh in 2005 for a profit of £36,000. He had claimed second home mortgage interest on his flat. How much of that profit from his subsidised flat was given back to the taxpayer?

Again in 2005, our former MSP bought a house in Edinburgh for £380,000. He was claiming £991 a month on second home mortgage interest payments before the election. Subsidised property speculation at the expense of taxpayers!

All of this was within the rules, rules set up by MSPs, not surprisingly. The morality of using the system in this way is a different matter.

Brian Nugent
Schoolhouse,
Hamnavoe,
Burra.

COMMENTS(4)

Add Your Comment
  • craig smaaskjaer

    • April 21st, 2011 10:50

    I don’t know what you are complaining about, Brian. Apparently it’s ‘good enough’ for his constituents and therefore he has no problem with any of this. Don’t you understand that it’s us who are wrong? Tavish is quite clear that Shetlanders have no problem with this so we must be.

    REPLY
  • Robin Barclay

    • April 21st, 2011 11:41

    It is time for the public to get real. If it is within the rules, they are entitled to it – it is only when the rules are bent or broken that they should be censured. The rules must be appropriate but not punative. MPs and MSPs are professionals who have expenses associated with their jobs, and part of their job entails maintaining a home and/or accomodation at their work and usually at their constituency. It is all very well for Nick Clegg to donate the profit from the sale of his house, but he, like many others currently in office, is independently wealthy – and annoyingly “moral”. If it comes to be that, because of inappropriate salary (they keep voting down their pay awards) and inadequate expenses, no person of more ordinary means could afford to stand for parliament and it becomes a club for the privelaged, it will be a sad day for democracy.

    REPLY
  • Malcolm Cole

    • April 21st, 2011 17:28

    I don’t think Shetland folk should join in the game of attacking our members of parliament.
    People in the central belt like to knock the MSPs from the northern isles because their travel costs more to Holyrood than it does from Falkirk. The same for accommodation. They don’t have a choice but to stay in Edinburgh. They can’t pop back. This kind of moaning will end up hurting our representation.

    REPLY
  • ian tinkler

    • April 21st, 2011 23:37

    £380,000 house as second home!!! Paid for by the taxpayer. Lets dump this twitt soon. he is an utter insult to Shetland and the parlimentary process. It would be good to see him work for an honest income.. What would he do in the real world???

    REPLY

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